Amaryllis
by Gogo Starship
Summary: Rachel has a bad day, and Jesse knows exactly how to make her laugh. Part four of the Bouquet series!


**Yay for a new Bouquet installment! Woot! **

**So, as requested, I'm doing amaryllis, then lilac. It'll be a good way to bring it to a close….**

**UNLESS. **

**You guys want me to do ONE MORE. I came across another meaning I'd love to use. It will be a surprise, and come after lilac to serve as a short of epilogue and look into the future. That's all you get to know :)**

**Disclaimer: I know, I know. **

Rachel was having an awful day.

It had started with History class- Rachel had overslept (she blamed Jesse- he had shut off her alarm clock in hopes that she would skip her morning workout and 'relax for once'. As if he could stop her), and had arrived five minutes late. Without the usual slushie excuse, the teacher marked her late, and she (Rachel) was forced to go get a pass from the attendance office, missing even more class time. Also, she got a B+ on her test, which was not part of the Rachel Berry plan.

In English, her teacher had refused to give her the lead in their impromptu performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream. She was much better than the monotone girl who had gotten the part, and she knew that the teacher was fully aware of that fact, as Rachel had made sure to let her know before she picked. She was just some tree in the background, which was a ridiculous waste of talent.

In Pre-calc, the clumsy boy who sat behind her spilled his water on her graphing calculator, and she was unable to truly participate for the rest of the class. There was no way for her to start her homework until the weekend when she could drive to town and get a new one (as Glee practice had been running late in preparation for Regionals).

In Glee's classroom portion, Mr. Schuester had told Rachel to wait for her solo tomorrow, as Quinn- who had thought of a song _on a whim_- had 'called dibsies' and deserved to have the last spot of the day, even though Rachel had informed Mr. Schuester ahead of time that she wanted to go on that particular day.

In Biology, she was forced to sit next to a girl who seemed to be chronically sick, and her teacher instructed her to take off her face mask out of 'respect for Alia'. What about respect for Rachel's well-being? It seemed to be last on everyone's list that day.

In Spanish, Noah kept tossing little bits of paper at her every time she was asked to answer a question. Mr. Schuester was hardly pleased that she responded to "Como te llamas?" with "Noah, if you don't stop throwing at me right now, I will shove your pencil up your nose!"

When the school day ended and it was time for Glee, the she knew things weren't going to get much better. It was the day that Schuester was going to announce who got the solo for Loser Like Me, and Rachel knew she would get it, she was a shoe-in. She also knew she was going to get some serious flack for it from everyone else, especially Quinn and Santana.

She entered the classroom and smiled winningly at everyone. Most of them smiled back, and a few even acknowledged her with greetings of "Hey, Rachel!", which was great progress seeing as most of them were quite mad about Jesse.

She sat in her seat next to Mercedes and, although they didn't say anything, it wasn't really awkward. It was comfortable. Their friendship had really blossomed, and they had gotten so close that Rachel was comfortable calling her her best friend. She, Cedes, and Kurt were practically inseparable (unless, of course, Blaine was involved). Mercedes smiled at her and finished shooting off a text to whoever she was engaging with before starting conversation.

"So, Rach, how's your day been?"

"The worst day of my life," Rachel said sadly, looking utterly devastated. Mercedes seemed to think she was overreacting, because she chuckled.

"What happened?"

Rachel relayed the story, though she was revising it to make it seem a bit more dramatic. "And then, Noah harassed me by pelting me with balls of paper at the most mortifying moments, and Mr. Schuester yelled at me for a good five minutes for answering a question wrong. Honestly, not only am I emotionally scarred, I can assure you I'll be covered in bruises by this time tomorrow!"

Mercedes laughed loudly. "Girl, you forgot I have Spanish with you. Mr. Schue didn't yell, and the paper was barely as big as my picky nail."

Rachel huffed indignantly, not bothering to dignify Mercedes with a response. This just prompted Mercedes to laugh louder, which only further irritated Rachel.

"So, guys, you ready to find out the solos for Regionals?"

The glee club whooped and hollered excitedly, abuzz with anticipation. Rachel leaned forward in her seat, her heart fluttering.

"Rachel will, of course, sing her song as the opening number—" scattered applause filled the room "and now, for the one you've all been waiting for… Finn, drum roll please. The soloists for Loser Like Me are Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry!"

"What? No way, Mr. Schue, she can't have both the solos!"

"Why not?" Rachel demanded angrily. "I didn't get any at sectionals, or have you forgotten? Oh, never mind. As usual, the only thing on your mind was yourself."

"That's rich, Berry, coming from you!" Quinn sneered. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"All I ever think about is you guys! Have you noticed how quiet I've been lately? The first time I've spoken up in glee in a while was to suggest original songs, and guess what, Quinn! You were on my side! I've been very kind and giving, and I could have thrown a fit every time you would insult me, or I didn't get my way, but I put my petty anger aside because I care about you guys and I didn't want to risk upsetting you! No matter what I do, though someone has someone to complain about, and dammit, I'm sick of it! Guess what, Quinn? I got that solo because I deserved it, unlike you!"

Rachel grabbed her bag and stormed out of the room, adrenaline pumping through her veins and increasing her anger. She drove home recklessly, and the second she entered her house, Jesse was at her side, soothing her. Her fathers, in a rare moment of leniency, had allowed him to stay with her for his full two weeks off (in the guest room, of course).

"What's wrong, Rach?" Jesse asked, his hands massaging her shoulders as she sat in his lap on the couch. She looked down and swallowed hard, desperately trying to keep the tears at bay. She told him everything, every insignificant detail (though in her sensitive state, it all seemed very significant), and by the end his arms were around her waist and his cheek was resting in her hair.

"I'm sorry you had such a bad day, but it's not as bad as it seems, trust me," he whispered, his voice soft and caring. Rachel sniffled.

"It is, stop downplaying it!"

Jesse sighed. "I'm not downplaying it, Rachel, I'm trying to get you to be positive," he told her, his tone careful. He must have sensed a Berry Tantrum coming on, and his instincts were sharp.

"I don't want to be positive! It's okay to wallow occasionally, Jesse!"

He sighed and gently slid off the couch. "You're obviously upset, so I'm going to let you cool off. I'll be back soon, okay?" He kissed the top of her head, grabbed his keys, and left her alone in the living room.

At first, Rachel was furious. How dare he be so blatantly careless? Slowly, though, her anger faded to be replaced with horror. She had been so terrible to him! He had just been trying to help, after all!

Rachel ran up and was about to go find Jesse, but when she opened the door she saw him walking up, a bouquet of flowers in hand. He hid them behind his back and smiled at her.

"Calmed down?"

"Yes, I have. I'm sorry I was so terrible to you!" she apologized, throwing her arms around him as she hugged him tightly.

"So, what flowers have you brought me this time?" she asked expectantly. Jesse grinned and produced a bundle of amaryllis flowers. Rachel laughed loudly.

Jesse, as usual, nailed it with the flowers. Dramatic couldn't have fit better.

**Ten reviews before the next installment; and even if I reach ten, you should take pity and review more, because I'm so sick my face hurts from congestion, and reviews distract me from it :) -guilttrip-**

**Cheers! **

**Harlot**


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